Highly-regarded American soccer journalist Grant Wahl who had been critical of FIFA and Qatar during the tournament has been found dead while covering the Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal at the 2022 World Cup in Doha, Qatar.
On Friday, Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Stadium reserved for journalists during extra game time, and nearby reporters called for medical help. Emergency services arrived on the scene, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on-site, and took him out on a stretcher. He was later pronounced dead, at the age of 48.
The World Cup organizing committee said he was taken to Doha’s Hamad General Hospital, but it did not state a cause of death. “We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family’s wishes,” it said in a statement.
Following his passing, the U.S. Soccer team released a statement that read:
The entire U.S. soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl. Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists: teams, players, coaches and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport.
Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game.
As important, Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all. Grant made soccer his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with us. U.S. soccer sends its sincerest condolences to Grant’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, and all of his family members, friends and colleagues in the media. And we thank Grant for his tremendous dedication to and impact on our game in the United States. His writing and the stories he told will live on.
As of this writing, the cause of death has not been released publicly. Wahl posted a photo in April showing he had already received his Covid vaccine.
Thrilled to get my 1st Pfizer Covid vaccine dose. Science! pic.twitter.com/6SaHitpK5n
— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) April 7, 2021
Wahl’s brother, Eric, claimed that his brother was killed.
“I’m gay. I’m the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup,” Eric Wahl said in the post. “My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats.”
Eric Wahl, the brother of sportswriter Grant Wahl who died in Qatar while covering the World Cup, is asking for help.
Grant was detained in Qatar for wearing a rainbow shirt two weeks ago pic.twitter.com/lak0b1UZwa
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) December 10, 2022
More details of this tragic incident from Bleacher Report:
Wahl wrote on Monday that he had been sick for about 10 days, attributing it to being overworked and not getting much sleep while covering the World Cup before his symptoms eventually got bad enough that he went to a medical clinic in Qatar.
“I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis,” he wrote. “They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.”
He said he tested negative for COVID-19.
Before the United States’ matchup with Wales on Nov. 21, Wahl posted on social media that he was not initially granted access to Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium for wearing a shirt with a rainbow encircling a soccer ball:
Watch the video report below for more details:
Sources: TheGatewayPundit, Bleacher Report
today I read that another referee also died (but it couldn’t be from the vax, could it, so all liberals ought to keep making sure they’re “up-to-date” until they’re six feet under and we’re rid of them